The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1887-05-14
WILL sHAKEsPEARE's LADS.


A Useful Company Formed by the Great
Dramatist to Take Care of Travellers
Horses.
1t is strange that while we are made
acquainted witA the smallest facts in
the lives of some great men by means
of numerous biographies, we know al
most nothing of the life Of the greatest
poet and dramatist of modern times.
During his life no one valued him suf-
ficiently to prepare q biography of
him, and SC. it is that to-day all the re-
search and curiosity in the world only
enable us to find out Il very few of those
minor incidents in his career which
would have been such delightful read
ing.
Every now and then, however. some
student of archaeology, as they call the
people who love to look among old Ii
braries and pull over musty manu-
scripts, finds some allusion to the ia
nous playwright, and we have one
more anecdote to add to our stock.
Some days ago friend lent me small
storybook by an English author whose
name was quite unknown, and who, l
fancy, has not many readers on this
side of the Atlantic. But lie was
clearly q learned and conscientious
author. and among his pages l found
the following anecdote referring to
Shakespeare. 1t was quite new to me,
and fancy, will be so to most of you;
but feel quite sure that it is true, or
the writer in question would never
have allowed it to appear in his vol
ume.
Among the other things that our lit
tie barefooted Will Shakespeare did in
order to pick up few honest pennies
in the little poverty-stricken town OF
Stratford was to wait about the inn in
order to hold the horses of the gentle
men and farmers who rode into the
village on business. In those days,
you know, every one rode on horseback.
There were no wagons and carriages in
use, and no roads over which it would
have been possible to drive them had
there been. Every one who could af-
ford it kept riding horse. and, indeed,
without one it would have been impos.
sible for people to go beyond walking
distance. This of course made q
great many horses to be held
on market-days or on any occasion that
brought a number Of people into town.
Now little Will Shakespeare, who was
in manhood to manage and direct a
theater, had the same head for organi'
zation and management in his boy
hood. He soon organized a number Of
his friends and schoolmates under him
into an association whose business il
was always to have certain of it,
members on hand at the inn and othel
prominent places ON market-days, ant
there to stand ready to take horse
bride from the rider, see that th'
animal was taken to the stable ant
cared for if necessary, or only to holt
him quietly until his owner re-appear
ed. These boys came to be known II
Stratford as ''Will Shakespcare's Lads.
Now to show you what stuff was il
our little Will. Not only did he pu
this scheme in motion, but he SO train
ed and drilled the lads under him il
punctuality, good behavior, respectful
bearing and honesty that the reputa
ton of them went abroad as being tn
most reliable and trustworthy boys il
Stratfom. When a rider would appea
in the village and a boy came forwar'
to hold his horse, the common inquir
was: '.Are you one of Will Shake
speare's lads? L. don't want an
other"
Only to one of these boys trained an
instructed by little viii would the pee
pie round about intrust their valuabl
horses. Was not that reputation t
win, boys, and can you not see in it
prophesy of tho success that was to al
tend his efforts later in lifep
What William Shakespeare did, h
did thoroughly, and as horse boy q
playwright made absolute perfectio
his aim. 1t may be that at preser
many of you are too young to undc
, stand and appreciate some of his grea
est work; but rs you read and learn
love play after play, pause and col
slider the amount Of study, the tr
mendous application. the untirin
labor, the research and the investig
tion, that each of those dramas mu
, have cost him.-MarV e. Vandyne,
Harper's Roung People.
WORK FOR HIM